Survival food has been around for ages. In the 1800’s it consisted of Rice and beans. During the wars the military created MRE’s (Meals ready to eat) Which consisted of dehydrated or freeze dried foods, pretty much hear and eat or add water and eat. The food was gross but kept ya alive long enough to make it to a base camp for a better meal.
Survival food of today is a lot better but still eaten the same way, add hot water or add some water or toss in the sun for an hour open and eat. I guess we are given a simple choice, eat the meal or die of starvation which as I have been told is a long, miserable way to go.
The good news for those of us who stock up on survival food is that we have some really decent choices in foods these days. The 72 hour food bucket that is purchased from half a dozen companies offer some decent meals. Though the preparation hasn’t really changed, boil clean water, add to the mix, stir, let stand and eat the taste and nourishment values have changed.
Companies like Wise, My Patriot supply and others are making money hand over fist for this stuff so it must be decent right?
Today, we can go to amazon, Wal-Mart, Target and even Ebay and have really good choices of food kits that usually come in a 5 gallon bucket and sealed in a rip and run bag that will keep the product fresh for up to 10 years. You can eat straight out of the bags or pour the contents into a bowl. They are generally decent in protein and some are even diabetic healthy. On the bucket they even include that nutrition tag that shows you what you are getting calorie wise.
What’s the Cost?
What’s the value of living? I mean if you want to live your going to pay and these companies know that. Sure you could save a buck by buying your own storage crates and packing them with foods from your pantry but really, how many are going to start doing that right now? It’s so much easier to break out the plastic and buy it from amazon.
I have seen pricing from the twenties to several hundred dollars. Generally the 30 day, 5 person kits are the expensive ones in the 3-500 dollar range with the 72 hour one person kits between $25 and $75 dollars depending on the brand. Walmart has an in-store company Augason Farms that is very reasonable where as Wise or My Patriot are much more expensive. Now in theory, more expensive also means better right? I can’t say because I haven’t compared these.
In addition to these kits you could go purchase a vacuum lock bag sealer kit and fill bags full of rice, nuts and other non-perishables and start you own extra supply. You can probably toss in a couple dozen can’s of SPAM and even Chili. I would also keep an ample supply of seed in a safe sealed bag so you can plant your own foods if warranted. Stuff like Chili peppers grow quick and easily and sure make bland foods better.
Keep in mind also that camping foods are fantastic, many are loaded with energy which is necessary for climbers and people doing a lot of walking. Now these may be a little pricy due to their specific user target but I would not rule them out.
During and after a major disaster or civil emergency the Government will be trying to resupply the affected area but that often takes weeks. If we are surviving something catastrophic like a power grid failure or war, it will be years before store shelves are restocked and could be weeks before you could find a hot meal at a Red Cross relief camp.
The good news is that there are plenty of websites that have great articles on how to Food Prep for whatever comes. The issue is that most people are too lazy to prepare or assume food will be available in a post apocalypse disaster. That’s just not going to be the case so it’s up to you NOW to make preparations.